


Tales from Sornieth

by multilefaiye



Category: Borderlands (Video Games), Flight Rising
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dragons, Canon-Typical Violence, F/F, F/M, Flight Rising AU, I Don't Even Know, I don't know what I'm doing y'all, M/M, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rhysothy is Endgame, Siren Rhys (Borderlands), Trans Male Character, Trans Rhys (Borderlands), flight rising - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-17
Updated: 2020-03-17
Packaged: 2021-03-01 05:13:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,250
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23179786
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/multilefaiye/pseuds/multilefaiye
Summary: Many centuries ago, with the help of the gods, the imperial dragons banded together to seal away the Emperor dragons to protect Sornieth from their insatiable hunger and desire for blood. However, these ancient monsters have begun to awaken, putting all of Sornieth in danger. Over the years, powerful Emperor Hunters have defeated many of these beasts, but even they are unprepared for the true monster sleeping beneath Sornieth's surface.Enter Rhys, a disgraced former member of the clan Hyperion with mysterious powers, and Fiona, a con artist desperate for a better life for herself and her sister. These two dragons, brought together by impossible odds, may be the heroes Sornieth needs in this time of crisis.
Relationships: Athena/Janey Springs, Fiona & Rhys (Borderlands), Fiona/Vaughn (Borderlands), Handsome Jack & Rhys (Borderlands), Handsome Jack/Rhys (Borderlands), Rhys & Sasha (Borderlands), Rhys & Vaughn (Borderlands), Sasha/Original Non-Binary Character, Timothy Lawrence/Rhys
Comments: 2
Kudos: 7





	Tales from Sornieth

**Author's Note:**

> GUESS WHO'S JUMPING HEADLONG INTO ANOTHER AU WITH NO REGARD FOR THEIR PERSONAL TIME, ENERGY, ETC.? THIS KIIIIIIID!!!!!!!! Haha. This was a mistake.
> 
> Anyway, this is the full version of that AU from The Two Kings!! I've wanted to write up the full version for.... literal years.... and I just finally decided Fuck It and started writing it. I hope you guys like it!!! Keep in mind I've only played Tales, so while I am going to be involving characters from other games I haven't personally played them so please forgive me if I get anything wrong uwu"

The sky was clouded, as it often was in the Highland Scrub, with skies covered in rolling clouds and the rumble of thunder ever-present in the distance. There was a faint breeze, hardly enough to cool the lightning-scarred sands, just enough for the scattered cacti and bushes to sway slightly in the breeze. This stormy wasteland wasn’t much, but it was home for many a dragon.

One dragon in particular was out today, despite the impending storm. He was a pearlcatcher, a little round in the middle but overall sleek and deadly. His scales were pale, covered in hexagonal spots and strange blue runes that glowed in the dim light, and his mane was a shimmering auburn.

The pearlcatcher limped as he walked, for he was missing his right forelimb, and the pearl strapped to his side was cracked and battered, but he hardly seemed to care. His keen pink eyes scanned the horizon for movement, his ears on a swivel for any sound. The black cloak he wore, worn and dirty, was drawn tightly around his body, hiding him from the scorching sun above.

Eventually, the pearlcatcher came to a stop atop a plateau, looking around with a curious expression on his face. He was searching for something--or, rather, some _one_.

He reached into the pack strapped to his other side and pulled out a scroll, unfurling it to read the message scrawled in neat, tidy print.

 _Rhys_ , it read. _Meet me in the Highland Scrub. We have important business to discuss. Fiona._

Rhys stared at the message for a moment longer before he rolled it back up and stuffed it into his bag once more.

“Fiona?” he called, his voice echoing across the empty fields. Silence. He furrowed his brow. “Fiona! I’m here. What did you want to talk about?”

Was he in the wrong place?

He heard footsteps approaching and turned to see a tall, imposing figure. They weren’t a dragon, that much was clear, as they walked on two legs and had no wings or tail to be seen. Their body was wrapped in thick rags that hid their form, aside from a single glowing eye that stared at Rhys. Rhys bristled slightly and took a step back.

“You’re not Fiona,” he said. The figure did not reply, but they took a step closer. The blue markings on Rhys’s body began to glow and he bared his teeth. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” he growled.

Before he could say anything else, though, the figure reached out with one hand, in a single, swift motion, flung a field of magic towards him. He hadn’t even the time to duck or shriek as it closed around him, trapping him in place and making his world go dark.

Rhys awoke some time later, free of the magic that had been binding him, to find that he was being dragged by his tail through the desert. He growled and thrashed about, but that only earned him a sharp glare from the figure dragging him. (Or, at least, he thought it was a glare--it was difficult to determine their expression with their face covered like that.)

“Stop struggling,” they said in a sharp, robotic voice.

“Who are you?” Rhys asked. “What’s going on?”

“I ask the questions,” the figure replied. Rhys narrowed his eyes at them.

“Okay,” he said, “then do you mind asking yourself what you’re doing?”

The figure was silent at first, but after a moment they stopped dragging Rhys and set him down. He tried to get to his feet and flee, but he realized then that his hind limbs were bound tightly with rope, as were his wings. A flash of fear went through him then--what was this stranger planning to do to him?

Completely oblivious to the panicked thoughts racing through his mind, the figure knelt down next to Rhys and stared at him again with that glowing red eye.

“Tell me about Gortys,” they said.

Rhys felt his stomach drop, but he tried to hide it under an annoyed sneer. “Is that what this is about?” he snapped. “Gor… Gortys is bad news, okay? You don’t want to get involved with her.”

The figure swatted him across the face, sharp and painful. Rhys cried out in pain and whimpered, his cheek stinging.

“Don’t be an ass,” the figure said in that same voice, now tinged with annoyance. Rhys stared up at them warily and they sighed. They got back to their feet and grabbed him by his tail again, continuing to drag him across the sand.

“I’m not a patient person,” the figure continued, “so just start _talking_.”

Rhys swallowed. “Well… where do you begin when you’re being dragged through the desert and, um…”

“From the beginning.”

Right… that… that made sense.

“It all started the day Saul died. You see, I, uh, I spent most of my life in this clan called Hyperion back in the Hewn City, so I… suppose that makes me one of the bad guys in this story.

“After Handsome Jack died, Hyperion kinda started to fall apart, until Saul took over. He wasn’t the best leader, but he was alright, I guess. And one day he called me to come see him in his lair…”

_The sun was too bright._

_Rhys squinted in the blinding light, shaking with the pain coursing through his body. Why did everything hurt? Why couldn’t he_ see _?_

_“What have you done!?” a desperate voice cried. Who was that? Rhys tried to look around to spot them, but all he could see was the field in front of him, burning in the sunlight._

_But, then, when he squinted his eyes, he saw them--there was another dragon, lying on the field. Oh, gods, they were on fire!_

_“What have you done!?” the voice screamed again, closer this time._

_Rhys had to help them. Carefully, he made his way towards the injured dragon. With trembling paws, he tried to stamp out the flames, but they only grew when he touched them. Fire danced along his limbs but didn’t burn him. The sunlight was burning his eyes, and he couldn’t see._

_“Get away from him!” the voice sobbed in Rhys’s ear. “Leave us alone!” Rhys turned, but there was no one there. The sun was too bright, all he could see was the burning, the dragon dying at his feet._

_Something rested on his shoulder, cold as ice against his charred skin, and Rhys screamed._

Rhys was still screaming as he jolted awake, eyes glazed over in terror as he thrashed in his nest of blankets.

“Gods!” Vaughn yelped, jumping away to avoid being swatted with Rhys’s flailing limbs. “Rhys, are you okay!?”

Rhys, sides heaving as he panted, couldn’t hear him, his eyes looking frantically around the darkened den as he struggled to remember where he was. Finally, his eyes settled on his paws, curled into fists before him, and he relaxed slightly to see that there was no fire burning his scales.

He was safe. He wasn’t in the field. He was in his den.

“Rhys?” Vaughn asked tentatively, gently this time. “You okay, buddy?” It was only then that Rhys realized he was being spoken to, and he looked up to meet his friend’s eyes.

“Y-Yeah…” he said hesitantly. “I’m… I’m good, don’t worry. I just… I just had a weird dream, that’s all.” Based on the expression on the mirror’s face, Vaughn didn’t quite believe him.

Still, instead of calling Rhys on it, he simply said, “If you say so.” He paused, fins twitching thoughtfully. “You know, if you need to talk about something, anything, I’m here for you, bro.”

“I’m okay,” Rhys insisted quickly, cursing internally at the slight tremor in his voice. “Really, it’s nothing.” Vaughn seemed like he was about to object, so Rhys quickly changed the subject. “Anyway, I thought you were at work already. What are you doing back so soon?”

Vaughn gave Rhys a look that said he knew exactly what his friend was trying to do, but he decided to humor him and drop the subject for now.

“Saul wants to talk to you,” Vaughn said. He grinned at his friend, sharp and excited. “This might be the opportunity we’ve been waiting for! Come on, get up.” Vaughn gently nudged Rhys to his feet, snorting at the pearlcatcher’s indignant whine.

“You don’t need to rush me,” Rhys huffed. “Give me a second! I only just woke up.”

“Our clan leader wants to talk to you personally, and you’re _not_ running to meet him?” Vaughn gave his friend a weird look. “Who are you and what have you done with Rhys?” he teased.

Rhys rolled his eyes and stretched, yawning loudly. He’d already pushed his strange dream to the back of his mind, knowing it would do no good to dwell on it. It was… familiar, somehow, but he didn’t want to think about it. The pearlcatcher spread his wings, stretching them out with a groan, and folded them tightly to his side once he was done.

“Alright, I’ll go talk to Saul,” he said. “But it probably _isn’t_ what you think it is, Vaughn; don’t get your hopes up.”

“Hey, I’m allowed to be excited for my best friend!” Vaughn chirped. “If you move up in the clan, so do I, and so does Yvette. And even if that wasn’t the case, you’re our friend and we’re both very happy for you.”

“Thank you, Vaughn,” Rhys said, smiling fondly at the smaller dragon. “Really, I mean it.” He straightened and cleared his throat. “Right, time to go have a talk with Saul. I’ll see you later?”

“I’ll see you later, bro,” Vaughn agreed. Before he left, he nudged Rhys’s pearl towards him with his tail, and the pearlcatcher sent him a grateful smile.

Rhys picked it up and strapped it to his back, as out of the way as possible. Once he finished with that, he stepped out of the den and into the residential zone of Helios.

Though the rest of the Hewn City where Helios was located was a ruin in shadow, Hyperion’s lair was full of life and light. Bright torches and beautiful tapestries hung from the walls of the ancient city, and the ground beneath Rhys’s paws was covered in lush, golden grass that swayed in the light breeze. Rhys smiled to himself as he walked, taking in the sights and scents of Hyperion and feeling his heart swell.

He’d only been in Hyperion for a few years at this point, but he felt more at home in this clan than he had anywhere else.

Rhys made his way through the residential zone and towards the working district, which was full of dragons bustling about. This late in the morning, most dragons were running about to fulfill their respective duties to the clan (the only reason Rhys wasn’t among them was that today was _supposed_ to be his day off). Very few of them paused in their busy scrambling to even greet him, though a few did nod politely in his direction.

At the center of the working district was the Hub of Heroism, a wide plateau where dragons congregated to rest and socialize during their breaks. In the middle of the Hub was a massive golden statue, a tall and imposing gaoler posed with his head held high. Just beyond that was the watchtower, the Eye of Helios, where the leader of the clan made their home. It was an old building, in ruins like the rest of the Hewn City, but it was impeccably preserved and mostly intact. Only the best for the Sunbeam Ruins’s mightiest clan’s leader.

When he finally reached the entrance to the leader’s den, he took a deep breath and paused before stepping inside. Though Saul was generally known for his kindness, it was rare that anyone but his personal circle of advisors and staff were invited inside his den. Even Rhys had never been inside before personally--this was truly a momentous occasion.

Still, he shouldn’t keep Saul waiting. Rhys nudged aside the thick curtain that acted as a door to the den and entered the Eye of Helios. Inside the watchtower was an ornately decorated foyer, jewels and precious stones decorating the marble walls. Hanging from the walls were a series of tapestries depicting Hyperion’s previous leader, the same dragon the statue depicted, in various poses, each more stark and regal than the last.

Though he knew this meeting was probably important and he shouldn’t waste any time, Rhys paused to stare wistfully at the tapestries. The nearest one, showing the gaoler’s grinning face and the deep, inverted V-shaped scar across it, caught his attention. It was a beautiful tapestry, one that likely took several months to create. Handsome Jack, even in death, deserved only the best, after all.

Rhys felt his cheeks grow slightly warm as he admired the tapestries and the handsome gaoler. Despite his many scars, the gaoler had definitely earned his title of Handsome. Sure, Vaughn thought it was a little weird that Rhys liked him so much, but that was fine. Rhys knew he wasn’t alone in his… _admiration_ for the former leader.

_“Stop talking about the fucking tapestry.”_

_“Sorry, sorry, just setting the scene!”_

Rhys shook his head to clear it, willing his faint flush to go down, and hurried through the foyer to the main chamber of the Eye of Helios, where Saul would be waiting for him. He nudged aside the colorful curtain that acted as a door to the main chamber and stepped inside, a pleasant smile on his face as he prepared to meet with his clan’s leader…

… Only for that smile to fall sharply as he was greeted with Saul’s corpse instead.

The tundra dragon was sprawled across the floor, his throat mangled and torn with blood soaking into the marble beneath him. His brown fur was stained a deep red, and his yellow eyes were wide open in horror and pain as he stared lifelessly at Rhys.

Rhys couldn’t help it--he screamed and fled from the room as fast as he could go, desperate to find the clan healer. Though Saul seemed dead, maybe, just _maybe_ , there was a chance he could still be saved.

The rest of the day was a blur. Though the clan healer, a surly old snapper named Nina, tried her best, it was clear when she arrived at the Eye that there was nothing to be done for Saul. Even magic couldn’t save him now--he was well and truly gone.

Nina was the one to announce Saul’s death to the clan from the top of the Eye later that evening as the sun set. Rhys was in the crowd gathered around the Eye, listening with a downcast expression. Though Saul was not as beloved as Handsome Jack had been, the clan was still devastated by the news of his passing.

“What do you think happened?” Vaughn asked from next to him, his voice a hushed whisper. Rhys shook his head, unsure of how to answer.

“I bet it was a coup,” Yvette whispered back from Rhys’s other side. The spiral dragoness was coiled loosely around Rhys’s neck, and every few moments she absently ran her claws through his mane to try and reassure him.

“That makes sense,” Vaughn hummed. “No shortage of power-hungry dragons around here…” But to go so far as to _kill_ the current leader? Who would do such a thing?

The crowd began to disperse then, and Nina made her way down from the top of the tower. 

An idea occurred to Rhys suddenly and he narrowed his eyes, searching the crowd of gathered dragons for an unfortunately familiar ridgeback. Before he could tell his friends what he was thinking, though, said ridgeback spoke up.

“Well,” Hugo, a powerful ridgeback with jet-black scales, said, “this is certainly a tragedy.”

He began making his way through the thinning crowd, who parted for him as easily as water. Rhys stared at Hugo as the larger dragon walked through the crowd towards the Eye of Helios. In one swift movement, he leapt and fluttered to the top of the tower where Nina had stood before.

“Dragons of Hyperion,” he began, “we have lost a great leader today, but do not despair. This is the end of an era and the beginning of a new one.” He was smiling widely, showing his many sharp teeth as he looked out at all of Hyperion. By this point, the crowd had paused in their dispersing and were watching him curiously.

“What we need now is a new leader,” Hugo continued, “one who can lead us through these troubled times to better ones.” He paused for dramatic effect ( _what a fucking prick_ , Rhys thought). “And that leader… is me.”

A murmur ran through the crowd as the gathered dragons looked at each other, then at Hugo. No one was protesting, though, which made Rhys’s stomach drop. No, no, _no_.

“No fucking way,” Yvette echoed his thoughts. “There’s no way he’s being serious…”

“Oh, I think he’s being serious,” Vaughn groaned.

Hugo grinned, and when he spread his massive wings he easily blotted out the setting sun, casting a shadow over the gathered dragons. If Rhys was more superstitious, he might’ve called it a sign.

“Hyperion,” the ridgeback crooned, “I know this may be a shock to all of you, but I promise you that as your leader I will take our great clan to new heights. We don’t need to mourn for what we’ve lost, when we have so much more to gain!”

It was quiet at first, but it wasn’t long before some dragons began to cheer. Soon enough, the whole crowd was cheering, except for Rhys and his friends, staring up in horror and confusion at Hugo.

It was then that the idea Rhys had finally solidified in his mind. Hugo must have done it. He must have been the one to kill Saul. Yvette was right--this was a coup. But what could he do? What could _any_ of them do? Though Hugo had only just declared himself leader, it seemed he had already won over the clan.

After all, all of Hyperion’s greatest leaders rose to power this way: seizing it as soon after the death of the previous leader as possible.

Rhys, Vaughn, and Yvette could only stare in anger and horror as the clan lauded this _absolute prick_.

And just like that, Hugo became the king of Hyperion.

_“They all accepted him as leader, just like that?”_

_“Well… okay, there was a_ little _more protest, but that’s not the point. Point is, Hugo declared himself leader, and things went… downhill from there.”_

The next few days passed quickly as Hugo further established his power, appointing a circle of advisors (many of them _very_ unqualified for the position) and moving his nest to the Eye of Helios. Other dragons, especially those who had opposed or slighted Hugo in any way, no matter how minor, were harshly punished and demoted.

Strangely, though, nothing had happened to Rhys yet, despite the fact that he knew Hugo considered him his greatest rival. The ridgeback had told him that himself, years ago; to this day, Rhys wasn’t quite sure _why_ , as he wasn’t exactly interested in climbing the ranks and wasn’t particularly known in the clan. He’d assumed Hugo was just being an ass, as he was wont to do, and didn’t put much stock in the other dragon’s furious declaration. At least… until now.

“He has to be planning something,” Rhys said to Yvette and Vaughn one day over lunch. “I mean, he hasn’t even _said_ anything to me about it. If he’s supposed to be my ‘biggest rival’, why hasn’t he done anything to me yet?”

“He might have forgotten about you,” Yvette pointed out around a mouthful of insects. She took a moment to chew her mouthful and swallow before continuing. “I mean, your rivalry was always pretty one-sided anyway. Maybe he just found more important things to worry about.” She paused, then shot Rhys a smile. “No offense.”

Rhys snorted. “None taken.”

“Still, it is pretty weird,” Vaughn hummed. He was gnawing on a yeti bone, sharpening his teeth and stripping away the last few chunks of flesh. After a moment he set the bone down and looked at Rhys with a worried expression. “I think you’re right, bro, he might be planning something.”

“I’m sure it’s fine,” Yvette said with a flick of her large ears.

Before Rhys could reply, a roar sounded across the Hub of Heroism and the three dragons turned their heads to see that Hugo had climbed to the top of the Eye once again.

“Dragons of Hyperion!” Hugo called. “I’m calling a clan meeting! Everyone report to the Eye _now_!”

“Jeez, what’s his problem?” Vaughn grumbled.

The clan gathered around the Eye as instructed, muttering among themselves curiously as they eyed the clan leader. He seemed a bit stressed, a practiced expression of worry in his eyes as he gazed out at his clanmates. Rhys felt a flash of unease and bit his lip, wondering just what this was about.

“Dragons of Hyperion,” Hugo began once the clan was gathered around, “these past few days have been a strain on all of us, me especially, but I am proud to say that things are finally coming together.” He smiled, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “What happened to Saul was a terrible thing, but I can only believe it must have been destiny.

“But, still, destiny or not, someone was responsible for this tragedy, and they must be punished.” Hugo’s eyes hardened as they scanned the crowd only to land on Rhys. “After careful investigation, I believe I’ve found the one who was responsible.”

Hugo paused for dramatic effect, eyes locked on Rhys’s, before he called out, “Rhys! Rhys is the one who killed Saul.”

Rhys’s heart leapt into his throat as the crowd around him gasped and began muttering again, shooting him shocked and furious glares.

_“And they believed him? Just like that?”_

_“I don’t know if you’ve picked up on this, but at Hyperion we tend to trust our leaders above all else.”_

_“So you’re saying Hyperion dragons are gullible?”_

_“No… Okay, maybe a little.”_

Rhys opened his mouth to defend himself, but his tongue was too heavy in his mouth and nothing came out. Thankfully, Vaughn jumped in to save the day.

“No way!” Vaughn protested, fins flaring up in a near-threat display as he glared at Hugo. “Rhys was the one who found him! How could he have killed him?”

“Pretending to find the body is the perfect cover for killing him!” a dragon nearby pointed out, her eyes narrowed.

“He had to have done it!” another chimed in.

“You’re seriously all falling for this?” Vaughn snapped. “How stupid can you be?”

“Quiet!” Hugo roared. The crowd fell quiet and turned their attention back to him. “Rhys,” he said after a dramatic pause, “the only punishment fit for a crime this grave is death.” Another pause. Rhys began to tremble, his eyes going wide. “But I am feeling merciful, so I will instead be sentencing you to permanent exile.” Hugo’s eyes shone as he spoke.

“Rhys, for the crime of the murder of Saul, I exile you from Hyperion. If you are ever seen on Hyperion lands again, you are to be killed on sight.” Hugo lashed his massive tail, his voice a thick snarl. “Now, _get out of my sight._ ”

“You can’t do this!” Vaughn cried. “He didn’t do anything wrong-- _you_ must be the one who killed him!” Yvette hissed at him to be quiet and back off, but he didn’t listen.

“You’d dare defend the murderer?” Hugo asked. He grinned cruelly and grimly. “Fine. Then you can join him, Vaughn.”

“Gladly!” Vaughn spat. He stood almost protectively in front of Rhys, despite being much smaller than him. In all the commotion, Yvette backed up away from Vaughn and Rhys, blending in with the crowd.

“Vaughn, please,” Rhys said quietly, “don’t. Stay here, I-I’ll be fine.”

“No way, bro,” Vaughn replied. “There’s no way I’m leaving you.” His tone allowed for no argument. Despite the stress of the situation, Rhys felt a little touched by the show of loyalty.

“How touching,” Hugo drawled. He had a sour expression on his face as he looked down at the two of them. “It changes nothing, though. Both of you are sentenced to exile, and if I ever see either of you again I will _personally_ kill you. Now, _get out_.”

“Fine!” Vaughn growled. He lashed his tail back and forth and bumped his shoulder against Rhys’s. “Come on, let’s go, Rhys.” And with that, the mirror began leading the way out of Helios, towards the archway exit at the edge of the Hewn City.

As they left, Rhys tried to spot Yvette in the crowd, but he found she wouldn’t quite meet his eyes. He frowned in her direction, a little hurt, but ultimately he was glad she decided not to speak up. After all, as much as he appreciated Vaughn’s show of loyalty, he felt awful that the other dragon was exiled alongside him. If Yvette decided to stay safe where she was, then that was fine.

And with that, Rhys and Vaughn left Hyperion behind.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Let me know if you liked it! <33
> 
> Also, if you'd like to talk to me, you can find me on tumblr at multi-lefaiye.tumblr.com uvu


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